"The silence was deafening. I felt the sun on my face, brushed a tick off my lower leg, and listened to the highway traffic on I-94. I felt sick to my stomach. I'm actually excited you are doing a story. I won't try to justify anything. I hope if my girls learned anything, it's that everyone is human, everyone makes a mistake. I hope they do not judge me by one act."

-- Mark Abboud, coach of the U-12 Minnesota Thunder Academy. He ordered his players to miss their penalty kicks on purpose so their opponents, the favored U-13 Minnesota Thunder Academy, could win, which happened. Abboud, who has said before the game he would do what he did if the game was decided on penalties, added that if he was reprimanded, "Maybe that's a sign I should try something else after 15 years." (Minneapolis
Star-Tribune)